to all who replied to my thread.
While I am sad to hear that others have gone through so much worse than I, it brings me comfort to know I am not alone.
Because ! was dumped only 48 hours ago this is all still very raw for me. I spent the first day crying and cleaning (from my birthday party the night before) -- his timing was great ,huh? And yesterday I marched myself down to the bookstore and bought "Facing Co-dependency".
Facing the fact that I am co-dependent feels shameful and embarassing, but I am determined to work through this and not repeat it. I accepted the fact, many years ago, that I am co-dependent but never really did work on it. I guess awareness is only a small part of it. I see now why I was drawn to this man and others like him.
So, to turn this thing around, I guess his timing was spot on. He gave me a new, albeit frightening, opportunity for a new beginning for my birthday.
